Decisions that have changed boxing
By Mauricio Sulaimán
President of the WBC – Son of José Sulaimán
I would like to begin by expressing my deepest condolences to William Haney, who has lost his mother, as well as to Devin Haney. Renee Jannah was his beloved grandmother and important part of his life. May she Rest in Peace and her memory be eternal.
The World Boxing Council has worked tirelessly for decades to find ways to make boxing safer for fighters, and a fortune has been invested in medical and scientific research and special studies to discover and understand what happens in the brain and body. What effects does this sporting activity have on boxers?
A large number of rules have been changed, and new ones have been implemented to minimize the risks involved when entering the ring. Even so, much still remains to be done, and this must be with the will and effort of all the members in the boxing industry. We are in this together – organizations, federations, local commissions, promoters, managers, trainers, advisors, and everyone involved one way or another in the activity of boxers, even media and fans.
This week, the decision of a boxing commission’s doctor prevented what could have been a terrible tragedy. Mexican boxer Angélica López Flores was going to travel to Toronto to face Natasha Spence. When it was confirmed that Angelica had lost 14 kilos in just 20 days, she was denied permission to box abroad. That considerable weight loss is very serious indeed, and there could have been a fatal accident.
The rules and measures that are implemented serve to protect the fighters, even from themselves. They are warriors who are capable of anything just to get into the ring to earn a living. Education needs to be reinforced at all levels. Coaches, matchmakers, promoters, and boxers need to understand that it is dangerous, and that common practices which seem normal can cause serious health problems, and even risk lives. Weight cutting, accepting fights while out of shape, living an unhealthy private life, etc.
The WBC has started the weight monitoring system as part of the Weight Management Program. The BoxMed app is being introduced as created by with Conexión Fácil, which specifically serves to require all champions and Top 15-rated fighters to report their weight once a month, thus preventing drastic sacrifices to lose a lot of weight in a very short time, which is extremely dangerous.
In Puerto Rico, the commission’s doctors also correctly canceled Amanda Serrano’s fight, finding a problem with irritation of the cornea of her eye, and even with a full stadium, they did not allow her to enter the ring, saving her without a doubt her eye, and her career.
Another issue of great concern is the consumption of cannabis, commonly known as marijuana, which today is legal in many countries, and especially in some U.S. states. This led to WADA, which is the World Anti-Doping Agency, not considering this substance as doping when it is out of competition. The consumption of alcohol and marijuana is legal, but this puts the physical integrity of athletes, especially boxers, at considerable risk.
Last week, the issue took on scandalous proportions when the fighter, the king of social networks, Ryan García, uploaded videos while he was smoking during the promotional tour for his fight against Devin Haney. This is one of those cases where the legal and the inappropriate collide head-on. There is no doubt that the consumption of alcohol and marijuana generates a very high risk. We are working very hard and diligently on this thorny issue. Ryan is a very nice person, has been in the light, and then often times in the dark. Now he has a time to shine as he will have the most important fight of his career against WBC super lightweight champion Haney.
Another risk factor in boxing, which we have worked to prevent, is unevenly matched fights. A fight between two boxers who are obviously and patently not of the same level is dangerous and is a gross deception to the public. Professional boxing is structured by the number of rounds: it starts with four, then there are levels of six, eight and 10 rounds. Championship fights are at 12.
It is the job of the boxing commission where the fight takes place to authorize the fights, responsibly seeking to ensure that they are properly and fairly balanced. Unfortunately, it is very common where this does not happen, and we watch the fights only to see in which round the favorite fighter will beat the other, and not to see who will win. This must be stopped. Coaches must not allow their fighters to go up into the ring hampered by a considerable competitive disadvantage. The promoters cannot allow this to happen and demand their matchmakers to produce even matches. The boxing commissions must accept them. The television stations should demand balanced fights from the promoters, the organizations not to sanction these titles, and even the press and fans raise their voices in protest.
DID YOU KNOW…?
The Englishman Peter Buckley is considered one of the worst fighters in history, since he fought 300 fights, of which he lost 256, including a streak of 86 consecutive defeats.
Another known case is that of Reggie Strickland, with 363 fights and 276 losses, a journeyman who traveled all over the United States to confront whoever they put in front of him. Totally unacceptable.
TODAY’S ANECDOTE
My dad traveled as supervisor of a WBC world championship fight to Venezuela in 1971, being general secretary of the World Boxing Council. As a side note, I remember my father telling the story about referee Mills Lane (RIP) arriving with him on the same flight in Caracas and being detained by the authorities because he was carrying a gun! Of course, we are talking about 1971. Guns were probably legal and Lane had little experience traveling abroad, so Don Jose had to convince the authorities, explaining in detail why they were in Venezuela. So, Mills entered, worked the fight, and was given his gun back upon departure.
Back to the topic of interest, it was the Filipino champion, Erbito Salavarria, against the local challenger and fan favorite, Betulio González. It was a 15-round war that ended in a draw, but something untoward happened that would change the destiny of sport and bring anti-doping to the fore.
A story that I heard Don José tell with great pride on many occasions: “Betulio was a full-fledged idol in Venezuela, but the fight was very tough. The Filipino champion resisted the attacks, and when it seemed that he would be knocked out, he came out and gained strength, was reinvigorated, and hurt Betulio. In the minute of resting period of the twelfth round, I realized that in the corner of Salavarria, they gave him a drink from a white bottle, something very strange. I immediately went to the corner and confiscated the bottle.
“The fight ended in a draw and it was a scandal. I took the bottle in my briefcase to Mexico, and immediately sent it to a laboratory. It turned out that it contained amphetamines. For that reason, we made an unprecedented decision and we withdrew recognition of Salavarria as a champion. Then we began to design a mandatory anti-doping testing program after each WBC world championship fight.”
I appreciate your comments at contact@wbcboxing.com.
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